There’s a tiny room in the front of our house that has been the home to my mom’s former aesthetician business. She’s in her 70s and doesn’t work anymore, but the business holds a powerful meaning for her. I get that. I used to own a business, too. It’s tough letting go. However, after much emotional struggle she decided to finally sell her business once and for all.

This means that in two weeks that room will be empty and it will return to the warm and embracing fold of the house. This also means that we can repaint it. (Yay!) And replace the carpet, which is this really OLD crazy dingy commercial grade blue stuff. And since we’re going to repaint that room we can also take advantage of the opportunity and go ahead and repaint our office and kitchen, two projects we have been talking about for ages.

Jack’s standing in our office (checking out paint swatches painted all over the walls (you can see more swatches on the wall over the computer monitor behind him) and there’s our kitchen through the doorway.

Jack has a super long commute. It’s a little over two hours one way. He takes the ferry into San Francisco, rides his bike to the train station and then takes the train down the peninsula to the South Bay, then rides his bike to work. It’s heinous.

But he’s a much happier person (trust me!) taking public transportation than when he was sitting in traffic day after day.

Why do we live so far away? Well, that’s a long story, suffice it to say that we have good reason and are just making lemonade at this point.

Earlier this year I gave up coffee. Again. It was terrible and traumatic at the time, but I don’t really miss it. Sorta.

Okay, who am I kidding, I do miss it. I love the smell of coffee and its heady aroma first thing in the morning. I also miss the specialty drinks during the holidays. Every year I got a thrill when I saw Pumpkin Spice Latte appear on the menu. Oooooh. Happiness. And then when Christmas rolled around I felt giddy as I entertained Peppermint Mochas and Eggnog Lattes. I miss it, I tell you, I miss it!

But, here’s what I don’t miss:

the 9,000 calories per drink,

the acidic fiesta created in my stomach thanks to the caffeine,

the instant sugar rush followed by an overwhelming desire to take a nap, and

My school schedule this semester requires that I bring my lunch to school with me or else brave the cafeteria. The campus cafeteria is a luring oasis of unhealthy, expensive food. A simple salad can rack up to $10 in no time. Plus, they have Ding Dongs there. And Ho-Ho’s. And bags of Doritos. Me likes the cafeteria. It’s the Las Vegas of campus, a place for sin.

The cafeteria is not a good habit to indulge on a daily basis.

In an attempt to stave off the lazy convenience of the cafeteria and inspire a consistent and healthy lunchtime habit I started making a bento box for lunch hoping that it would make my “bag lunch” a little more fun. After several months of bringing my bento I can tell you that, indeed, my “bag lunch” kicks the cafeteria’s patoot! I love busting out my little bento for lunch. I really look forward to it and get a kick every time I pop the top off my lunch box. Even my lab mates have taken to asking me, “Sooooo, what do we have today? Oooh. That looks good!”

It’s not that the food is so spectacular, usually I just have leftovers, but the presentation of a bento is so visually appealing that it makes ordinary grub look appetizing.